If You Go, I Promise I'm Coming, Too
by Myra109
Summary: Mark is running away because he feels alone in the family, but maybe he isn't so alone after all, and someone will follow him. Wherever he goes. ""Mark, you are the person I love most in the world. Wherever I am, as long as I'm with you, I'm home. Wherever you go, I promise I'm coming to," Jessica said." Jessica/Mark, incest


_This is a prompt from Godzilla183._

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Cheaper By The Dozen._**

* * *

 _If you take her, I swear I'm coming too_

 _Cause I don't know what I'd do_

 _Don't know what I'd do if I lost you_

-"Don't Go" by Hannah Georgias

* * *

Jessica found Mark stuffing clothes into a bag.

Their mom's appointment with the TV crew that day had gone horribly, and now, their parents were fighting worse than ever. During the disaster that day, Jessica had been unable to find Mark; she'd heard his voice and had detected a sadness in his tone, but with all the chaos and noise going on around her, she couldn't locate him. Finally, the TV crew left and everyone headed off to their rooms, but Mark was no where in sight, so Jessica climbed the stairs to his room.

She got there just in time.

"What are you doing?" she asked as Mark stuffed a shirt into the bag, and his head jerked up in surprise.

"Nothing," he blurted, but Jessica could hear the lie in his tone, see the tears in his eyes, feel a cloud of depression hanging off of him. Something was wrong.

"Mark, we tell each other everything," she told him. "Don't even try to lie to me. What are you doing?"

"Big families stink," he answered. "My pet died, and no one even cared. I'm running away."

"Beans died?" Jessica whispered before she spotted the shoe box beside her brother that surely held the deceased frog. "Mark, I'm so sorry."

Mark shrugged. "Yeah? Well, you're the only one. Everyone else just told me to leave them alone or buzz off or…" Mark trailed off. "You're the only one that wants me in this family. I can't stay."

Jessica sighed. "Well, if you're going… I'm going, too."

Mark gaped. "Really? Are you sure?"

Jessica nodded. "Mark, I don't want to be anywhere without you."

"But you'd be leaving home, the family. I don't fit in here, but you do," Mark pointed out.

"Mark, you are the person I love most in the world. Wherever I am, as long as I'm with you, I'm home. Wherever you go, I promise I'm coming to," Jessica said. "Let me pack a bag."

Jessica threw a few changes of clothes, a stuffed animal, and some photographs into a backpack before shrugging on a jacket and returning to Mark's room.

"Let's go," she told her brother before they located Mark's escape route (the two of them used it to sneak out at night and take walks by the nearby lake) and used it to get outside.

Mark and Jessica stared across the land, hearts beating wildly in their chests as they faced the unknown. Together.

Mark's hand slipped into Jessica's, and they glanced into each other's eyes once more.

Then they ran.

* * *

Tom rubbed his fingers over his eyebrows in frustration as everything fell apart. Things had been crumbling for months, but in that moment, it felt like their family had finally been ground to dust with nothing but shattered pieces to remind him of what a beautiful thing it had once been.

Running footsteps sounded in the (for the first time in a long time) silent house, and Tom turned as his wife, Kate, sprinted into the room, worry painted across her beautiful features.

"Mark and Jessica are missing," she said, and Tom felt his heart drop into his stomach.

* * *

Kate pounded on the door of their neighbor's house, and Tina turned her nose up upon seeing Kate Baker standing on her doorstep.

"Two of my children are missing," Kate said. "Mark and Jessica? Have you seen them?"

"The two siblings dating, right? Not much of a loss. They're abominations, anyway," she scowled.

Kate had been wanting to slap this woman ever since Tina discovered Mark and Jessica were in a relationship and treated them like dirt on the bottom of her shoe, but she'd held her tongue. Still, _abominations_ was crossing the line.

Kate's palm connected with Tina's cheek.

"I'll have you know, my children are perfect just the way they are. Even Mark and Jessica. Their love for each other doesn't change that. And if you can't even have some compassion when two innocent children are lost in an unfamiliar place, I don't want to even be near you," Kate hissed before turning her back and storming towards the road (I say unfamiliar place because none of the kids liked the new place enough to explore the town, so they probably don't know it as well as they did their old town).

"Wait!" a voice called, and Bill appeared at her side, along with Dylan. "I'm sorry about my wife. I had no idea she would stoop that low. We'll help you look for them."

Kate nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Tom found Jessica and Mark sitting on a bench at the train station.

Tom had acted on a hunch that Jessica and Mark would return to the one place they knew better than anywhere else, the place they still called home, even after the move to a new place. Midland. That brought Tom to the train station, and he found Mark and Jessica sitting on a bench with Jessica's head resting on Mark's shoulder and their hands intertwined.

They didn't seem surprised that Tom had found them, maybe a little disappointed.

"What are you two doing here?" Tom asked, sitting beside them.

Mark sighed before handing him a shoe box. "Nobody would listen when I tried to tell them."

Tom opened the box and found a deceased Beans inside, and Tom's breath hitched as guilt tightened around his chest.

"Oh, Mark… I'm so sorry," Tom murmured.

"I've never fit in in this family, and it's only gotten worse since we moved," Mark mumbled.

"And wherever he goes, I go," Jessica added.

"Why didn't you talk to me, Mark?" Tom asked.

Mark shrugged. "You were so busy with Mom and everyone else, you didn't even seem to notice me when I tried to talk to you."

"Mark, I am so sorry I didn't listen to you, but I promise that we will find a way to make this work," Tom whispered. "I promise," he repeated.

Mark dissolved into tears, and Tom wrapped his arms around his son, and Jessica soon joined in the embrace.

"Let's go home," Tom murmured before they all stood and headed for the exit to the train station.

Jessica's hand slipped into Mark's.

"My home is with you," she told him.

Mark nodded. "My home is with you, too."

"I'll stand by your side wherever you are, but could you please give this a chance? Give it a week; if you still want to leave, I'm right there with you," Jessica mumbled so that Tom wouldn't hear.

"Mark! Jessica!"

They turned to see their entire family running towards them in excitement.

"Thanks, Jessica, but I don't think I'll want to leave," Mark said.

Jessica smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

* * *

 _This is just a random scene. There will **eventually** be a longer story about Cheaper By The Dozen, but even I don't know when that will be posted, so just keep a look out for it._

 _I love feedback (but keep it kind or constructive criticism because any flames will be ignored and reported if necessary), so please tell me what you thought in the form of a review or a PM!_


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